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Knicks Scam Employees With Fake Championship Ring Email
Confirmed
In Short: The New York Knicks organization sent a phishing email to its employees, promising free championship rings, as a test of their ability to detect scams, according to The New York Times and Ars Technica.
The New York Knicks organization sent a phishing email to its employees, promising free championship rings, as a test of their ability to detect scams, according to The New York Times and Ars Technica. The email, which was designed to mimic a legitimate offer, read: “(Employee name), this one is on the house. MSG is issuing a complimentary employee championship ring. The same jeweler, the same craftsmanship, personalized with your name. No cost to you,” citing team sources.
The email was part of a broader cybersecurity initiative by Madison Square Garden (MSG), the parent company of the Knicks, following a recent hack that extorted the organization using employee login and password information obtained through a similar phishing attack. Employees who clicked on the link were required to attend a mandatory cybersecurity class, as reported by Ars Technica and CBS Sports.
Joe Vardon, senior NBA writer for The Athletic, noted that typically, most NBA team employees receive rings, even if they are not as elaborate as those given to players. MSG had announced plans to gift more than 275 championship rings and jewelry to players, coaches, employees, and other members of the Knicks family, worth more than $3.7 million, in recognition of their contributions and celebrating the team's achievement, according to Ars Technica and CBS Sports.
However, the distribution of rings was not without controversy. Assistant coaches did not receive their rings on the day the team raised its first league championship banner since 1973, as reported by Vardon. The team sources told The Athletic that ring orders, designs, and measurements can take time, and not every coaching staff for every defending champion gets their rings on opening night. Some longtime employees at Madison Square Garden, including those in the Knicks’ business operations, will not receive rings at all, according to Vardon.
The Knicks' championship rings, crafted by Jason of Beverly Hills, are ornate and expensive, boasting 800 diamonds and an estimated value of $250,000 apiece, handed out to the players who beat the Spurs last season to bring an NBA championship back to New York City for the first time since 1973, as reported by BroBible. This left a bad taste in the mouth of Knicks’ staff, according to TotalProSports.
The phishing email incident has further tarnished the reputation of owner James Dolan, who is already known for his contentious management style. Dolan's hard-line stance against going into the second apron, which imposes severe penalties on the team's salary cap, has led to contentious extension negotiations with key players, as reported by CBS Sports and Kfbk. The Knicks are currently asking Julius Towns, a multi-time All-Star, to take a discount from his max of four years, $277 million, as reported by The New York Post.
Despite the controversy, the Knicks organization maintains that the phishing email was not orchestrated by Dolan, according to TMZ. The organization stated that these types of simulated phishing tests are standard practice for major corporate entities to keep employees on their toes against cyber threats. However, the incident has raised concerns about the organization's approach to rewarding its staff and maintaining morale, as noted by Sbnation.
What this adds
The phishing email incident highlights the tension between cybersecurity measures and employee morale within the organization.
What's confirmed
- Madison Square Garden employees who clicked that link “were forced to attend a mandatory cybersecurity class to help satisfy some of [owner James] Dolan’s growing cybersecurity concerns,” the report said, citing team sources.
- “(Employee name), this one is on the house. MSG is issuing a complimentary employee championship ring. The same jeweler, the same craftsmanship, personalized with your name. No cost to you,” the email said.
- “MSG was recently hacked and extorted using an employee login and password obtained through a similar phishing attack. Using the rings as a lure to gain employees attention was an unfortunate mistake,” the statement said.
- “Ring orders, designs, and measurements can take time, and not every coaching staff for every defending champion gets its rings on ring night… The Knicks assistants were told they would receive championship rings eventually, but many longtime employees at Madison Square Garden, including some who work in the Knicks’ business operations, will not receive rings at all, team sources told The Athletic,” Vardon wrote.
What's still developing
- That’s not the only ring-related controversy the team is dealing with.
- In 2020, GoDaddy offered fake bonuses in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, and healthcare employees in Canada were promised a paid day off they never received.
- While the assistants' reactions to not getting their rings reportedly ranged "from genuine anger to annoyance," The Athletic noted that not all assistant coaching staffs, including last year's Oklahoma City Thunder, get their rings on opening night.
- The New York Knicks went on one of the more euphoric championships in NBA history earlier this year.
- It’s been reported that Dolan is growing increasingly paranoid about cybersecurity, which is fine — but trying to test this under the guise of giving his workers rings?
- James Dolan is firmly cemented as one of the most reviled owners in sports, but even knowing the depths of his awfulness, nobody was prepared for the story that broke on Thursday night about how atrociously he treated Knicks employees.
- This is why teams reward their staff with rings if a team finally breaks through, because while athletes are the ones responsible for winning, the organization as a whole would be nothing without the hundreds of people working behind the scenes, from marketing to equipment management, and beyond.
- And while some disgruntled fans crying foul are pointing fingers at James Dolan for the inbox ruse... our sources tell us this head-fake was not orchestrated by him at all... even though he owns MSG and the Knicks.
- Send me email updates and offers from TMZ and its Affiliates.
- According to ESPN, discussions have stalled as the Knicks prepare for the upcoming training camp.